U.S. States
Take The Lead In Controlling Global Pollutants
(Beyond Pesticides, May 4, 2005) A new report released yesterday
reveals U.S. states are leading the way toward elimination of dangerous
toxic pollutants, even while the Bush Administration drags its feet
nationally and internationally to protect the public and environment
from the most harmful chemicals.

Four years after
signing an ambitious international treaty to eliminate the worst global
toxins, the Bush Administration still refuses to ratify the Stockholm
Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).

The Center for International
Environmental Law (CIEL) report, U.S. States and the Global Toxics
Treaty, demonstrates how some U.S. states are sidestepping the
federal government to pursue the same goal as the international community
and take action to protect from the dangers of POPs - considered the
worst of the worst. The report is available at http://www.uspopswatch.org.
The report surveys a handful of state and local approaches to eliminating
persistent pollutants, including dioxins, mercury, pesticides, brominated
flame retardants, and others.

Karen Perry Stillerman,
author of the report, stated, “With their actions, the states
are showing the world that Americans care about protecting public health
and the global environment. The world needs to hear these real “good
news” stories from the U.S., not just the Bush Administration’s
empty rhetoric.”

A focus on Maine,
California, and Washington State provides practical examples of policy
tools including priority lists, chemical bans, restricted uses, and
precaution, each of which is reflected in the Stockholm POPs treaty.
States and communities in the United States are also on the front lines
of environmental health tracking, pollution monitoring, and education
about safer alternatives to dangerous chemicals.

Among the key findings
are:

•
U.S. states are at the vanguard of tackling POPs.
• State progress parallels
the global POPs movement.
• State actions to reduce
chemical threats must be respected.
• U.S. political will is needed
for global POPs success.
• People and communities across
the country must be heard.

“Despite the
lack of federal leadership, U.S. states are moving towards the international
goal of environmental health,” said Daryl Ditz, coordinator of
US POPs Watch at the CIEL. “While we urge the United States to
rejoin the global fight against chemical pollution, it’s essential
to respect and defend state, local and tribal progress on POPs.”

The new report comes
as more that 130 countries and 600 participants are meeting
this week in Punta del Este, Uruguay to kickoff this pioneering
global toxics treaty.